Release obtained, Lomax gets off to flying start

Tyrel Lomax had a flying trip to Dunedin on Saturday but he is about to become very familiar with the South.

Lomax (21), a tighthead prop of considerable promise, was in a tug of war between Australia and New Zealand over his services and there was the possibility he was facing a year up to the sidelines as he sat out the last year of his contract with the Melbourne Rebels.

But he got a text about 5pm on Friday night to say he would be released and by 9pm he had signed all the papers and was officially a player for Tasman and the Highlanders.

He flew to Dunedin on Saturday morning and made his debut for Tasman a few hours later, coming off the bench early in the second half of the match against Otago.

Lomax, the son of former Kiwis player John Lomax, was born in Canberra but spent much of his early life in New Zealand, before returning to Canberra in his teenage years.

He said it was a relief to finally get the situation resolved.He was set to start playing for Tasman and the Highlanders in 2019 but would now turn out for the Highlanders next year.

"It is pretty exciting and it is now reality that I have finished up with Melbourne and I’m ready to play. The game went well, as well as it could be for someone not preparing to play," he said.

He last played in early June so the lungs were battling.He was happy with the decision to go with the country he had grown up in. He had signed with the Highlanders for three years.

"New Zealand is home for me. It is where my family is from and where they will all end up."

He and his partner were looking forward to moving to Dunedin and being part of the Highlanders set-up. At 1.92m and 127kg, Lomax has the physical attributes to be a real plus for the Highlanders in the front row.